To that end, here are some fearless (and probably stupid) predictions for 2013:

• The Sox won't make the playoffs; there's too much ground to make up and the rotation remains suspect. But they will have a winning record and be in contention for a playoff berth in September.

• The sellout streak will end April 10 against the Orioles, the second home game of the season. Outside of 4 Yawkey Way, nobody will be all that upset about it.

• Will Middlebrooks will hit 25 home runs, drive in 90 runs, and strike out 125 times, entertaining everybody along the way. He's on the verge of big things in Boston.

• David Ortiz will start slow then come on, getting to 25 homers before the season is over with an OPS of .850 or so.

• The easy prediction is that Jacoby Ellsbury will have a big year and depart as a free agent. But here's a guess that he just has a so-so year and ends up staying in Boston when the other options aren't as glittery as he hoped. The outlier for Ellsbury was 2011. You can't expect that again.

• John Farrell will make an example of somebody in spring training by releasing them or demoting them. The Red Sox have to stop coddling players who haven't won a playoff game since 2008 and Farrell has the gravitas to do that.

• Rubby De La Rosa makes 20 starts in the majors and wins 12 games.

• Felix Doubront will not make 20 starts or win 12 games.

• Fans will come to like John Lackey. Shane Victorino and Jonny Gomes, too. Lackey may not always say the right thing, but he goes about his business professionally and competes when he's on the mound.

• Bobby Valentine will tell a New York-based reporter something about a Red Sox player that he doesn't think is too controversial but ends up making big headlines. Dustin Pedroia, unfettered, will fire back. Yes, that is the easiest prediction ever.

• Another former manager, Terry Francona, will make a few comments in his upcoming book that cause a minor ruckus. That is the second-easiest prediction ever.

"Francona, The Red Sox Years" comes out Jan. 22 by the way.

• Speaking of Pedroia, this is a huge year for him. Is he still a perennial All-Star or a guy who beat up his body too much by playing with reckless abandon? He has had a lot of physical issues the last two seasons. The guess here is that he returns to form.

• Andrew Bailey (if he is still around) will end up with more saves than Joel Hanrahan. Closers are impossible to predict, especially ones who change leagues and are on the verge of free agency.

• Stephen Drew will play 145 games and do just fine, bitterly disappointing all the numbskulls who compared him to J.D. Until he broke his ankle, Stephen Drew went on the DL twice in his career. He's not his brother.

• Assuming he ends up signing, Mike Napoli will be just pretty decent. Now that he doesn't have the Red Sox pitching staff to smack around, his numbers will reflect it.

• Clay Buchholz makes the All-Star team. He has the best pure stuff on the staff, it's just a matter of when he pulls it all together.

• Many, many words will be written in spring training about all the catchers on the roster. Then once the season starts it proves not to be a big deal. Ryan Lavarnway is 25. He'll survive if he has to spent a little more time in Triple A.

• Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, and eventually Pedro Martinez will start to wield some influence within the organization, especially Varitek.

• Finally, skeptical Red Sox fans will start to come back into the fold after enduring the big mess that started at the end of the 2011 season. The team will be easier to root for, the players more likable, and the expectations lowered enough to be reasonable for a change.

If all that turns out to be so, we should make the playoffs. On the offensive side, the implication is that we are about the best scoring team in BB. On the rotation side, Buchholz is an AS, and DLR wins 12 in 20 GS, which is the equivalent of a 20-game winner in 33 GS, and Lackey is liked. So we have a great offense, and half our rotation is very good.

â¢ Assuming he ends up signing, Mike Napoli will be just pretty decent. Now that he doesn't have the Red Sox pitching staff to smack around, his numbers will reflect it.

I've heard this one a few times, and it's kind of irritating. Yes, Napoli has a 1.075 OPS against Red Sox pitching. But he also has a 1.017 against Yankees pitching, and a .907 against Rays pitching. Considering how perfect Fenway is for his swing, it's stupid to say he's just been fattening up on lousy Red Sox pitching.

I actually agreed with his predictions for the most part. Really, when you look at it, they're hardly big risks. All of them very well could come true.

I don't buy the Bailey having more saves than Hanrahan prediction, and if the pitching comes through, the Sox very well could make the playoffs. Big if, of course, but I really believe that Lester, Buchholz and Lackey will be solid.

If all that turns out to be so, we should make the playoffs. On the offensive side, the implication is that we are about the best scoring team in BB. On the rotation side, Buchholz is an AS, and DLR wins 12 in 20 GS, which is the equivalent of a 20-game winner in 33 GS, and Lackey is liked. So we have a great offense, and half our rotation is very good.

That was exactly my reaction, as well. If all of his other predictions come true it would almost dictate that they DO make the playoffs, making that prediction illogical at best. But if that prediction is truly NOT so unlikely (and many here seem to be on the same bandwagon with Abraham in believing this Sox team will not even sniff the playoffs, let alone make them) then his other predictions must be wildly off base.

If all that turns out to be so, we should make the playoffs. On the offensive side, the implication is that we are about the best scoring team in BB. On the rotation side, Buchholz is an AS, and DLR wins 12 in 20 GS, which is the equivalent of a 20-game winner in 33 GS, and Lackey is liked. So we have a great offense, and half our rotation is very good.

That was exactly my reaction, as well. If all of his other predictions come true it would almost dictate that they DO make the playoffs, making that prediction illogical at best. But if that prediction is truly NOT so unlikely (and many here seem to be on the same bandwagon with Abraham in believing this Sox team will not even sniff the playoffs, let alone make them) then his other predictions must be wildly off base.

To be fair, all that could happen and the Sox win 90 games and still not make the playoffs. But also, as far as starting pitching goes, he only said Buchholz and Lackey would be good. He never mentioned Lester or Dempster.

Responding to Babe, the troll? Shameful enabling. Why not start a thread of your own? Does Babe have more energy, gumption, and fortitude than you do? Why are most threads started by trolls, the ignorant, and the senile? Why don't the most intelligent, reasonable, and logical, ever start threads instead of responding to trolls? Please respond?

This forum is what it is. As I keep saying it's an unmoderated free-for-all, and if you're going to play here you deal with that. I started a thread about the 04 ALCS and it ended up going off the rails as threads here often do. There are other forums that are moderated. The real mystery is why you continue with this obviously pointless exercise.

As for this thread, the original post was copied from Abraham and that's what's being responded to.

âÂÂ¢ Assuming he ends up signing, Mike Napoli will be just pretty decent. Now that he doesn't have the Red Sox pitching staff to smack around, his numbers will reflect it.

I've heard this one a few times, and it's kind of irritating. Yes, Napoli has a 1.075 OPS against Red Sox pitching. But he also has a 1.017 against Yankees pitching, and a .907 against Rays pitching. Considering how perfect Fenway is for his swing, it's stupid to say he's just been fattening up on lousy Red Sox pitching.

Completely agree. I find it very unlikely that all RS pitchers have some kind of common flaw that Napoli has been able to exploit. I find it much more likely that Fenway is the underlying reason.

âÂ¢ Assuming he ends up signing, Mike Napoli will be just pretty decent. Now that he doesn't have the Red Sox pitching staff to smack around, his numbers will reflect it.

I've heard this one a few times, and it's kind of irritating. Yes, Napoli has a 1.075 OPS against Red Sox pitching. But he also has a 1.017 against Yankees pitching, and a .907 against Rays pitching. Considering how perfect Fenway is for his swing, it's stupid to say he's just been fattening up on lousy Red Sox pitching.

Responding to Babe, the troll? Shameful enabling. Why not start a thread of your own? Does Babe have more energy, gumption, and fortitude than you do? Why are most threads started by trolls, the ignorant, and the senile? Why don't the most intelligent, reasonable, and logical, ever start threads instead of responding to trolls? Please respond?

I've heard this one a few times, and it's kind of irritating. Yes, Napoli has a 1.075 OPS against Red Sox pitching. But he also has a 1.017 against Yankees pitching, and a .907 against Rays pitching. Considering how perfect Fenway is for his swing, it's stupid to say he's just been fattening up on lousy Red Sox pitching.

Didn't we hear the same thing about agon?

How'd that work out?

The difference is that Napoli has an actual history of playing in Fenway.

I didn't notice a prediction for Kalish in that guesstimate. He's waiting for Bill James to weigh in. After 3 seasons of Kalish drivel has he finally given up? Nobody cares what his predictions are for next year. He went all in on Kalish for the last 3 seasons and lost his credibility moving forward. Pete, that's what you get for being a fall-guy for baseball ops.

Responding to Babe, the troll? Shameful enabling. Why not start a thread of your own? Does Babe have more energy, gumption, and fortitude than you do? Why are most threads started by trolls, the ignorant, and the senile? Why don't the most intelligent, reasonable, and logical, ever start threads instead of responding to trolls? Please respond?

Can u start another thread that is not soley based off a cut/paste/link ? Can u? Lazy son of a $#&#I($

Most of them look good. The only thing he forgot to add to the ortiz prediction was: once again most of ortiz's homers will come off triple A pitchers or in the late innings when the game has already been decided.